My Inner Author

Like so many parents, I have many hopes and desires for my children. Every day of their lives, they have made me proud, not in the traditional prideful way, but simply because as I look into their eyes and their souls, I see them being better people than myself. It is the sense of innocence, or simply the awe of being able to still watch learning as it happens? I don't honestly know. But at the same time, Donna and I have both wondered aloud if we really have done the best possible job at raising our kids. Truthfully, if I am laying bare my soul, I must admit I have not. A world of good intentions, and still there are some things I wish could be changed. Nothing epic, but some times when my temper ran too short, my interest not deep enough, or simply a time when I fumbled a great opportunity. Most of all, I think the one thing which I would like to change, is how protective we were over them (and remain). Sure, we learned very quickly, not to run right to them when they...

Okay, no fancy blog this time on politics, religion or anything else considered so "taboo" on Facebook. Just a quick recap of my 2-day visit to the Epic Geek & Nerd Fest known as DragonCon in Atlanta with my friend and co-worker Jeff. As I am a geek and nerd, I fit in well. Not quite to the level of some, but I got most of the humor, understood most of the costumes, and enjoyed seeing so many of us grouped in one spot. Thankfully nothing bad happened there, as many I.T. shops would never recover. What is DragonCon? Basically a convention of SciFi and Fantasy fans, where celebrity guests come to mingle with the fans, many wannabe characters unveil their costume creations, and you talk about all things SciFi and Fantasy related. This year I went for a simple reason, I wanted to meet, shake hands, and talk to some of my favorite actors and writers; and this year Scott Bakula, Dean Stockwell, and most of the Star Trek: The Next Generation cast were present. I will n...

Okay, before I start getting too caught up in college football season, I have to take one more moment to talk about politics. We have just had the primary elections here in Florida, and certainly there is some voter anger being taken out on incumbents, which is great; yet some incumbents managed to survive. It shows apathy is still very high amongst many in the electorate. Many people still think all politicians are crooks and corrupt, and so there is no real point to choosing one or the other. I must take the time to remind those folks, that is exactly what they want. They want you to simply cede control of your rights, your property, your liberties, your wages and ultimately, your morals to them. Which is exactly what you are doing. As I have spent time this year, reading and reviewing several books which cover the Founding Fathers, Constitutional Law, American History and the like, I have had some real epiphanies. As I have educated myself on several of the various issues o...

Ah, the start of the actual voting political season. Indeed in Florida, our vote early session has begun and the politicos are out in full force at busy intersections and near polling places with their signs waving at everyone. Those same signs inundate every street corner and vacant lot along busy roads. So, indeed the time of voting is upon us. Part of me is glad, for I still believe it will be a wondrous election cycle where numerous incumbents, who have long lost touch with reality and their constituents will be fired in numbers that will make Donald Trump whistle in amazement. Indeed, Ben Kenobi may have been discussing the modern political landscape when he said in Star Wars, "You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy. We must be cautious." Indeed the political season brings hope for a change to a better way of life, but it also has quite a few negatives: all those great campaign commercials and special interest ads on television, not to mention ...

Much ado has been made of Arizona’s recently passed immigration bill. It is set to go into law officially at midnight. The Federal Government is actually suing the state of Arizona to prevent the law from ever going into effect. Having read many editorials and seen news reports of protests and boycotts of Arizona, I decided to take a deeper look into the bill and see what the details are. My research and subsequent notes reveal some interesting tidbits I will share below. Like many political issues, I refuse to believe everything I see and hear on TV and the radio as absolute fact. If I believed everything in the news and popular beliefs of the day: the earth would have been flat for thousands of years, we were all going to die of a new ice age in the 1970s, and Barack Obama is really a bipolar president flipping identities between Lenin and Jesus. Just before I started my own process of research by reading the actual bill, a thought popped into my head which will simply not go aw...

I think bigoted Mel Gibson should be sent to live on a deserted island with the racist Black Panther guy. They deserve each other. I couldn't tell you how many of my friends are Jewish, Black, Hispanic or Caucasian. They are just my friends, period. Racism and bigotry sadly are still rampant in every demographic. As long as it exists, I hope people will still call those fools out, wherever they are. The sun needs to set on them and their archaic beliefs. I think LeBron James wants to win a ring, and good for him choosing his desired location over money. However, the ego involved in spending an hour on TV, flipping off Cleveland is bad form. Just have a press conference in Miami and donate some money to the cause. But, I sense a LOT of new Miami Heat fans. That is my yearly quota of basketball attention...next. Sorry Cougarific Twilight fans. I just can't understand how a sane adult woman can revert to a simpering female lap puppy over "sparkly" vampire...

Recently I completed reading “The Divine Commodity: Discovering A Faith Beyond Consumer Christianity” by Skye Jethani. I found the book quite stimulating to read and have enjoyed pondering the many thoughts he put forth on the path so many modern churches are on today. Whether you will enjoy reading and considering the many topics discussed throughout the pages will depend on several factors. Can you look yourself and your faith, your church and your beliefs, honestly and objectively, under the microscope? I have enjoyed reading many books over the past several years which make me think about my faith, and challenge me to be honest. At the core, this book delves into the premise our Christian faith and our churches are under assault from our consumerist culture both from without and within. Many less desirable trends and traits from society are now dominating the modern church and in some ways continuing to drive a man-made wedge between God and man. He intersperses the chapters with...